Walt Disney enshrined at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences courtyard in Hollywood, California

I recently had the opportunity to lead a presentation for Walt Disney World staff that spotlighted some of Walt’s guest appearances on non-Disney produced programs. Among the highlights were his 1947 cameo on The Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy Show and 1956 mystery guest appearance on What’s My Line?, both of which were the subject of previous essays. This column will focus on three other programs in which Walt was a featured guest star.

In an era where instant visual gratification is prevalent, it is easy to forget that there was a time within the past 75 years when millions of families would routinely sit around radio sets and listen to their favorite programs together. Radio became the primary source of home entertainment in the 1920s and continued into the early 1950s. November of 1926 brought the debut of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) followed by the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System in 1927 (shortly after its launch, the word "Phonograph" was dropped. CBS, in fact, no longer actually stands for "Columbia Broadcasting System," as the official name of the network itself was changed to "CBS Incorporated" in 1974).

In those early years of radio, the networks generally sold program time directly to sponsors. They in turn would develop the shows themselves hiring the producers, writers, on-air talent, etc. Occasionally the sponsor would attach their product’s name to the program itself. Such was the case with Lux Radio Theater sponsored by Lux Soap. The series began its 21-year run in 1934, initially presenting adaptations of Broadway plays from New York City. One year later, the series relocated to Hollywood, California and began adapting current and classic feature films. The original stars of the movies themselves would often re-create their roles for the Lux Radio Theater productions. Famed film producer/director Cecil B. DeMille (The Greatest Show on Earth, The Ten Commandments) was brought in to host and at its peak, the series averaged 40 million listeners every Monday on CBS.

December 26, 1938 was a special night for the series. That evening with the cooperation of Walt Disney Productions, Lux Radio Theater presented a night-after-Christmas staging of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." One year after its debut, cinema’s first full-length animated feature had earned a record $8.5 million worldwide. Even at this time, the film was being hailed as a masterpiece.

Walt was interviewed twice during the hour-long radio production. The first part had DeMille and Walt kidding around as both attempt to promote upcoming films: for Walt, plans were in the works for Pinocchio, Bambi and Alice in Wonderland (which would not be released until 1951. Interestingly, there is no mention of Fantasia nor Dumbo). DeMille is more eager to plug his upcoming feature Union Pacific. Taking a cue from DeMille’s reputation for making epic films, Walt says that if he were to remake Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs he would have "700 dwarfs instead of only 7 ... no, I’d have 70,000! They’d all be giants except for one and he’d be taller than the rest. Instead of having buzzards following the old witch, I’d have bombing planes. And for a climax, the Wicked Queen would sell Snow White a poisoned fruit stand! I think I’ll do it!"

Then DeMille chimes in about giving a Disney touch to Union Pacific:

In the second part, the discussion is more straight-forward as DeMille asks Walt about the origins of Snow White and on making movies:

It is worth noting that this was not the first time Walt talked about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Lux Radio Theater. A year earlier -- the night before the film’s premiere in Los Angeles -- a very nervous Walt was interviewed by DeMille. Anticipation of the movie’s premiere certainly played a part, but Walt also did not have a lot of -- if any -- live microphone experience. In 1938 that would change. Walt would lend his voice as Mickey for four episodes of the short-lived series The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air.*

Lux Radio Theater would do at least three more adaptations of Disney animated movies, all around Christmas time: "Pinocchio" with film actor John Garfield on December 25, 1939; "Alice in Wonderland" with its original stars Kathryn Beaumont, Jerry Colona and Ed Wynn on December 24, 1951; and "Peter Pan" with Bobby Driscoll on December 21, 1953.

It was by 1953 that television had just about supplanted radio in popularity. One of the new medium’s biggest stars was as unlikely a personality one would expect to see succeed: Ed Sullivan. As a columnist for the New York Daily News, he seemed an odd choice to head up a weekly variety hour. But he had a knack for locating exciting new talent and informing his readers about them. It was with much skepticism that Sullivan was approached in 1948 to host a CBS television series that would showcase new and established performers from all areas of entertainment. The featured talent along with Sullivan’s stiff appearance, awkward vocal mannerisms and obvious discomfort before the camera made Toast of the Town (renamed The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955) a Sunday night institution for the next 23 years.

Occasionally Sullivan would devote a broadcast to a single subject. This was the case with "The Walt Disney Story" aired on February 8, 1953. Sullivan chronicles the history of the Disney Studio up to that point as the company celebrated Mickey Mouse’s 25th birthday and the release of Peter Pan (which Sullivan says is "one those Disney out-of-the worlds"). Special filmed segments take place at the Burbank studio. Sullivan is shown driving up to the front security kiosk and in his narrative immediately launches into a three-minute commercial for the 1953 Lincoln: "the one fine car designed for modern living and designed for modern women!"

Before greeting Walt, our host has an amusing encounter with a Donald Duck doll, reminiscent of Sullivan’s many later visits with the marionette mouse Topo Gigio. The Duck is annoyed as usual, but Sullivan attempts to placate him:

To help tell the Disney story, there are clips from past accomplishments such as The Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella and the first seen Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie. There are also generous plugs for the just released Peter Pan. In asking him when he got interested in drawing, Walt reveals that he first wanted to be an actor. This leads to a re-creation of an amateur night stage act performed by Walt and his childhood friend Walt Pfeiffer (this portion was done for the live New York audience). Back on film in Burbank, Walt reflects on the studio’s participation in World War II designing battle squadron ensignas and making wartime films for the government. There is also another re-creation of a story meeting where the song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" came into being, this time with Walt himself with a group of animators as they prepare that theme song for the classic Silly Symphony cartoon, The Three Little Pigs (although it certainly didn’t occur quite as it was acted out, this particular sequence was later repeated on Disney’s anthology series. What is especially unusual about the clip is that Walt is shown putting down a cigarette!). Walt also takes Sullivan on a tour of the animation department, using a clip from the 1941 cartoon Old MacDonald Duck to explain how characters come to life via the celluloid process: characters were painted on clear celluloid which was placed over an illustrated background and photographed, thereby becoming one frame of the animated film. This scene, first used in the live-action portion of 1941’s The Reluctant Dragon, was again modified on several occasions for use in the anthology series and in Disney specials.

Sullivan continuously offered glowing praises of Walt and his studio. Thus it is ironic to mention that both their shows would be in partial direct competition on Sundays during the 1960s. Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color aired 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm on NBC and The Ed Sullivan Show was seen on CBS from 8 pm to 9 pm. Perhaps the most intense night of competition between the two occurred the evening of February 9, 1964. That night Walt presented part one of a three-part story based in 18th century England called "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh." Shortly after 8 pm Ed introduced four modern-day singers from Liverpool, England making the first of their three appearances. The Beatles easily won that night in a show that is still ranked as one of the highest-rated entertainment broadcasts of all time.

It may be surprising to some that Ed Sullivan also had a radio series of his own. Unlike TV, The Ed Sullivan Show of radio was a 15-minute program of new talent which aired briefly in 1932 on WABC in New York. On one show Sullivan talked with a stage performer named Jack Benny. Reportedly Benny’s first words on the air were, "This is Jack Benny talking. There will now be a slight pause while everyone says, ‘Who cares?’"

Continued ...

We Were Started By A Mouse Too!  •  When In Cyberspace ... Disney Link Directory  •  

  •  Purchase Walt Disney World Tickets here - DISNEY TICKETS via DWTickets.com  •  

  •  Receive discounts on ORLANDO VACATION HOMES near Disney World from OrlandoVacation.com  •